As many as 150 passengers a day could descend on the river parishes via the Mississippi River. Brooke Thorington explains.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

______________________________________

At a time when electricity bills are the highest they’ve been, Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May appeared before the Public Service Commission. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

______________________________________

An agreement with American Cruise Lines will soon bring tourists via the Mississippi River to Vacherie. Cruises that run from New Orleans to Memphis and the Crescent City to Baton Rouge will make a stop along the way and visit the river parishes. Executive Director of the River Parishes Tourist Commission Jay Robichaux says it’s welcome news for the area.

Cut 3 (07) “…parishes.” 

Robichaux says they already have tours lined up for passengers to visit Oak Alley plantation and passengers will have even more excursion options in the future for St Charles, St John, and St. James parishes.

Cut 4  (11) “…in the river parishes.”

The newer cruise ships don’t need a dock to unload passengers. The vessels can edge their nose to even land and passengers can disembark. But Robichaux a dock is in the works. He says after COVID, and Hurricane Ida tourists will bring a well-needed boost to the economy and they are ready to welcome them ashore.

Cut 5  (11) “…the river parishes.”

They expect ships will be cleared by the Corps of Engineers to stop in Vacherie in the next few weeks.

_____________________________________________

The founders of the WAITR food delivery app develop a new mobile app for skilled tradesmen. Chris Meaux, who founded WAITR in 2013, is Chairman and co-founder of BoomNation. He says people trained as carpenters, pipe fitters, plumbers, welders and more need to check into the BoomNation app…:

Cut 6 (14) “…that they have.” 

There are numerous job-finding apps and websites available…like Indeed, ZipRecruiter and even LinkedIn. Meaux says those are fine, but focus mostly on office-oriented jobs…:

Cut 7 (12) “…to hire them.” 

Meaux says the BoomNation app offers more to skilled tradesmen than just finding and posting jobs…:

Cut 8 (10) “…like-minded skilled workers.”

To know more, visit “BoomNation.com” or search BoomNation in your app store.

________________________________________________

Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May tells the Public Service Commission that the utility company is doing more to help customers experiencing higher than normal energy bills. May says they are waiving late payment fees for eligible customers and credit card payment fees and

Cut 9 (09)  “…customers.”

May says high natural gas prices have led to higher electric bills. But PSC member Foster Campbell criticized May for not using more solar power as a way to generate electricity and also pointed out that Entergy’s chairman recently received a one-million dollar raise

Cut 10 (13) “…whole year.” 

May defended Leo Denault’s salary by saying its consistent with his peers around the nation. May says Entergy gets about 80-percent of its electricity from natural gas-fired plants, but has plans to use more solar power

Cut 11 (10)  “…even five years ago.”

Campbell was not buying the answers that May was giving and once again brought up the possibility that utility companies should no longer have a monopoly for the area they serve

Cut 12 (12) “…goin’ all your way”   

Louisiana sets records for its unemployment rate and the number of folks employed in its latest jobs report. Kevin Gallagher has the story…

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

________________________________________________

Researchers at Tulane University pinpoint the Wuhan Market in China as the starting place for COVID-19. More from Kevin Gallagher…:

Cut 2 (33) “….I’m Kevin Gallagher.” 

________________________________________________

After a national search, the Louisiana Cancer Research Center names its new director. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 3 (29) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

___________________________________________________

Louisiana has more people working than ever, but thousands of jobs are vacant. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June was a record low 3.8 percent and the number of employed, which was just over two-million, also set an all-time record. Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates says the state’s workforce continues to grow….

Cut 4 (09)  “…good news”

Cates says the manufacturing sector is hiring as they’ve added nearly seven thousand jobs over the last year…

Cut 5 (07) “…be strong”

Cates says they are also no longer seeing a big decline in mining and logging jobs, which includes the oil and gas industry. But while the number employed has set an all-time record, Cates says the state still has over 25-thousand jobs available on the Louisiana-works-dot-net-slash hire website

Cut 6 (10)  “…as well.”

_______________________________________________

Researchers at Tulane University say a new study pinpoints the Wuhan Market as the origin of COVID-19. Tulane professor of microbiology & immunology Dr. Robert Garry says the conclusion came after extensive examination of thousands of DNA samples collected and other important data. He says they were able to identify some of the very first persons to contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus…:

Cut 7 (10) “…this uhhh Wuhan Market.”

The Wuhan Market is a huge complex in Wuhan China, where hundreds work in close quarters with one-another; handling any number of live animals including bats. Dr. Garry says a great many of the original cases of COVID were among people who worked around these animals. He says the virus “jumped” from the host animals to humans…:

Cut 8 (11)  “…happened this time.”

There are still many who believe the virus came from the nearby Wuhan Lab, which does expensive research with viruses, either by accident or intentionally. Dr. Garry feels this a conspiracy theory that the research simply doesn’t support…:

Cut 9 (12)  “…from this uhhh market.”

________________________________________________

Renowned cancer researcher Dr. Joe Ramos has been named director of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center in New Orleans. Ramos who is currently the interim director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center says he’s looking forward to making an impact in Louisiana with his 30 years of experience.

Cut 10 (09) “…very attractive.”

Ramos says his background with a National Cancer Institute facility gives him a better understanding of cancer, and how it affects neighborhoods and communities. He says it’s that knowledge that will enable him to make a measurable impact in Louisiana.

Cut  11 (08)  “…unfortunately.” 

In addition to helping address cancer disparities in Louisiana Ramos says the team approach of multiple research institutions like Tulane, LSU, Ochsner, and Xavier working together also attracted him to the position. He believes this approach along with his guidance will help reduce cancer rates in Louisiana.

Cut 12 (10) “…get it done.” 

The Louisiana Cancer Research Center serves as a collaborative hub to advance cancer research, improve prevention, and innovative treatment.

_________________________________________________

A 65-year-old Golden Meadow man faces video voyeurism charges after a woman discovered a camera in her bedroom. Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Captain Brennan Matherne says Golden Meadow Police asked them to assist and when they looked at the camera’s memory card, they found nude photos of the victim.

Cut 13 (08) “…the time.”

When questioned about the cameras, Matherne says Ricky Cheramie admitted he installed them in the victim’s home and…

Cut 14 (10)  “…his phone.”

Cheramie initially told investigators the cameras were to monitor who was going in and out of rooms in the home. But Matherne says the suspect’s story later changed.

Cut 15 (07)  “…any clothing.”

Ricky Cheramie was arrested and booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex with a bail of $10,000.

Ironically Matherne says it was approximately a month ago that they arrested another individual for the same offense with the same last name, 37-year-old Chase Cheramie. The two suspects and incidents are unrelated.

_______________________________________________

The Saints hit the practice field today looking to return to the playoffs after missing the postseason last season. Wide receiver Michael Thomas is still not ready to practice with the team after missing all of last season because of ankle surgery. General Manager Mickey Loomis doesn’t expect Thomas to spend a lot of time on the physically unable to perform list

Cut 16 (05)  “…very long”

Loomis says it remains to be seen what happens with running back Alvin Kamara, who faces a felony battery charge after security cameras showed him in a fight at a Las Vegas hotel in February. His next court hearing is August 1st. Meanwhile, the Saints signed veteran running back Malcolm Brown who has rushed for 13-hundred yards in 77 NFL games. Loomis says Brown’s signing is not in response to losing Kamara to a suspension

Cut 17 (20) “…part of it.” 

First year Saints head coach Dennis Allen says training camp to the casual observer will not look much different than what it did under Sean Payton. And Allen says he’s also planning to play Taysom Hill at multiple positions, just like he did under Payton….

Cut 18 (28) “ …football games” 

Safety Tyrann Mathieu has been excused from the beginning of training camp to handle a personal family matter. Allen is expecting a big season from the Honey Badger and he says free-agent addition Marcus Maye is expected to practice today after tearing his achilles last November

Cut 19 (29) _“…that room”